Patent Application WO2005077789A1 by the same Applicant, discloses an automated warehouse, comprising a fleet of shuttles which are remote-controlled by a central control unit so as to travel in a metal structure having a plurality of accumulation aisles, in which loading units, e.g. pallets, are stored.
When empty, the shuttles can pass underneath the pallets and travel in the accumulation aisles and also in orthogonal direction in service aisles, which are free from pallets and are arranged at the ends of the accumulation aisles.
In a different type of warehouse, each shuttle is replaced by a combination of a “parent” vehicle and a “satellite” vehicle. The parent vehicle is unidirectional and travels along a service aisle and supports the “satellite” vehicle. The latter, instead, can leave the parent vehicle, so as to travel along the accumulation aisles and load/unload the pallets.
In some known solutions related to the latter type of warehouses, the side edges of the pallets are supported by horizontal brackets, each of which is made in one piece with a respective runway, on which the wheels of the vehicle satellite can rest and roll, so as to form a metal section having a substantially Z-shape cross-section.
In this case, the construction and assembly of the runways for the satellite vehicle in the accumulation aisles is extremely simple and cost-effective, and consequently the warehouse structure is extremely advantageous.
In light of these advantages, the need is felt to use a warehouse structure of this type, with a single shuttle instead of necessarily requiring a satellite vehicle and a parent vehicle separated from each other.